vegan stuffed mushrooms

Beyond Burger Stuffed Bellas w/Brussels Sprouts

Posted on March. 2022March. 2022 by writinstuff

For many years I have had a love-hate relationship with stuffed mushrooms because they either come out too soft & mushy, like my Carrot Greens Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms or too underdone like the Mince & Couscous Stuffed Mushrooms. For a couple of years I just gave up on those elusive stuffed mushrooms that I’d enjoyed at restaurants in Chicago and Boston and Wurzburg.

I thought I’d have to resign myself to only eating them when made my a professional chef. Or my husband’s New Year’s Eve mushrooms

And then one day I was browsing the aisles of Lidl here in Romania and you know what I found? Portobella mushrooms. Not those flat wide one with more gills that mushroom flesh, but the gorgeous ones that were already practically a bowl just begging to be filled.

I tested them out a few times over the past few months and I am happy–ecstatic, actually–to report that I have finally achieved the perfect stuffed mushroom.

And you know what the perfect stuffed mushroom requires? The perfect vegan mince and I’m talking about Beyond Burger. Okay, maybe it’s not the most perfect vegan mince but of ALL the ones I’ve tasted, it’s the best damn one around.

So, let’s talk about these Beyond Burger stuffed mushrooms with bulgur and Brussels sprouts.

I know this looks like a lot for a pretty simple recipe, but it’s really not. I promise.

And if you don’t like Brussels Sprouts, switch it up to something else like broccoli, asparagus or kale.

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Beans, Breakfast, Cheese, Plant Based, Potatoes, Sides, Vegan

Vegan Brunch Recipe ~ Hangover Edition

Posted on January. 2021January. 2021 by writinstuff

Happy New Year!

I’m not much for resolutions and all that, so my sincere hope for you is that 2021 is better than the previous year. Cook better. Eat better. LIve better. Be better.

And I just might be able to help you with the first two. Maybe.

Full disclosure: I was not hungover when I whipped up this recipe but as I put it all together, it occurred to me that this the perfect vegan breakfast fry up for when you consume a little too much booze the night before. But hey, even if you don’t overdo it, this is a great vegan meal to put together on a Sunday afternoon, or any other day you enjoy brunch.

Unlike most vegan breakfast recipes, you won’t find tofu scramble here but not becuase I don’t love them, I totally do. The real reason is just simple oversight, I thought I had firm tofu in the fridge and when I went to search for it, surprise! No tofu.

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Grains, Herbs, Plant Based, Soup, Vegan

Couscous & Vegan Mince Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted on November. 2020November. 2020 by writinstuff

I love mushrooms. They are just…delicious.

You can use them as the ‘meat’ replacement if you’re just starting to transition to a vegan diet or lifestyle because they are sturdy and heavy and did I mention, delicious? You can grill them, fry’em, roast them in the oven or pop them in the air fryer. These suckers are very versatile, use them in your favorite mushroom vegan Buddha bowl.

I will put mushrooms in any vegan recipe I can from vegan risotto, to shredded barbecue oyster mushrooms on a bun and even vegan burgers.

I recently came across some of those giant mushrooms that are just perfect for a night of stuffed mushrooms, and then I found out that the new Romanian vegan food brand, Verdino, made a mince and I knew I had to try it out!

The hard part of any stuffed mushroom recipe is figuring out what to stuff it with. Do you load it up with veggies or look for a protein source? Since I already knew the Verdino mince was on the menu, it was time to fill up the giant brown and white mushroom caps.

I decided to keep this vegan dinner recipe simple with easy ingredients for both components of this dish. Inside the mushrooms are: couscous, shallots, sundried tomatoes, garlic, green bell pepper and vegan mince not meat.

Just saute the shallots, bell pepper and garlic, add in the mince last unless it’s really greasy, then add it first so you won’t need to add any additional oil, a perfect option if you want an oil-free diet option. Season and cook until brown and warmed through, set aside.

I recommend that you give it some time to cool down before you handle the mixture because you will end up using your hands.

Now, while this is all going on, you’ll have to make the couscous. Bring salted/seasoned water to a boil and add the couscous. Stir and remove from heat and, voila, couscous.

Annnnd, while you’re doing all that, you should get the mushrooms going in the oven unless you want them to get super water logged while stuffed. Bake them for about 15 to 20 minutes until they are still firm but starting to crisp around the edges.

Stuff the mushrooms with your vegan mince mixture and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Oh and as my Hubs suggested, add cheese on top if you want, but you don’t need them.

If you mis-measured the way I did, put the rest of the mix on the plate to make a ‘bed’ of stuffed mushroom goodness.

Since we know this isn’t a proper vegan dinner for any grownup vegan, what will you add with these stuffed mushrooms? You can go with fries because they DO go with just about everything. But I opted for carrot, garlic & ginger soup instead. Please be kind because the photo, well, it isn’t pretty.

It was a very satisfying vegan dinner recipe and it was pretty quick to put together. It was the perfect bistro night dinner, at least in my opinion.

As for the Verdino mince, it was delicious and not too oily. I added a few basic seasoning like salt, black pepper, garlic granules and smoky paprika and that was all it needed. If you find it, give it a shot, and tell me in the comments what’s your favorite brand of vegan mince not-meat?

Potatoes, Vegan

Beyond Stuffed Mushrooms

Posted on March. 2020March. 2020 by writinstuff

Ah, here we are again. Another day and another night of our Tokyo Diner love fest. Just in case you’re still thinking about whether or not this idea is for you and your family, consider how much easier it’ll make trips to the grocery store, especially when you need to limit your time out of the house more than ever.

It’s simple, you add the staples to your evergreen list, things like onions and garlic, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli…whatever your favorite things to eat are. Make sure you get what you want and then get what’s available, get what’s local and seasonal and then work with what you have.

For this night, I gave my husband one directive: stuffed mushrooms. He could add whatever he wanted, season using whatever flavors struck his fancy and Beyond Stuffed Mushrooms is what he came up with.

There was a half a kilogram package of brown and white extra large mushrooms in the fridge that inspired my request and he cleaned them, tossed them in oil, herbs and spices before popping them in the oven. It can take anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on your stove and the size of the mushrooms.

In the meantime, saute the mushroom stems, onion, bell pepper and garlic until it’s how you like it. But the beyond part of the equation is that there is a small disc of Beyond Sausage between the mushroom and the vegetables. He sliced 2 Beyond sausages and pressed them into the mushroom with this thumb, allowing them to cook with the remaining liquid from the mushrooms and the residual oil from the sauteed veggies.

Pop them back in the oven for another 15 minutes, just to get everything blended perfectly. Feel free to add your favorite brand of vegan cheese if you like, but he knows I have a love-hate relationship with most vegan cheese so he left if off. (Isn’t he wonderful? :P)

This is the perfect recipe for enjoy a serving of baked fries, you know if you have a slight potato addiction like I do.

This was a delicious meal that was fairly satisfying but meals like this always remind me why I prefer a plant based diet, because it fills you up with the fewest calories possible, allowing you to splurge on flavor.